In the Senate’s history, there have only been six African American senators.

Currently, there’s a whopping ZERO. And according to the Huffington Post, that’s not likely to change any time soon.Experts point to a lack of infrastructure, fundraising troubles, and disinterest from the party establishment and voters and reasons for the disparity.

Diversity in general is a serious problem in the Senate, with only 17 female senators currently serving. And while no one seems to know what to do about it, every agrees that a more diverse Senate could bring significant change to the conversations and activities of the Senate.

Chief Keef [Keith Cozart], the teenage Chicago rapper and popular subject of discussion on this blog, is on the cover of the Chicago Reader.

The weekly newspaper explores the rapper’s rise and–get this–considers the idea that Chief Keef’s growing popularity might be a good thing for the city:

It’s important to recognize that Cozart resonates with a large, young portion of the city if there’s any hope to understand—or maybe even overcome—the issues plaguing those parts of the city (and, by extension, Chicago as a whole).

Honestly, I have wanted to speak on Rape Culture for a while, but I have remained hesitant for a long time, quite simply because I am a man. The privilege of being a man and talking about such a sensitive subject, from a position of power is one that I, even now, am not entirely comfortable doing. It seems as though subjects like women rights, sexual abuse, Black feminism, ect are sometimes given more attention when a man talks about them, like hearing them from a women (particularly a black women) is somehow “not as legitimate”. So even in this blog, I want to use the words of women more than my own, to talk about rape culture. This is in response to Todd Akin’s ignorant comments that implied there is such a things as “legitimate rape” as if all rape would not be considered legitimate. To talk about Rape Culture and explain how deep this issue goes, I will quote a popular blogger, named Mellisa McEwan.

I want to thank the always racist and problematic charming and P.C. Ann Coulter for causing me to suffer from one of the most intellectually ambivalent moments of my life. In a new book and this infuriating/hilarious Fox News interview, Ann Coulter criticizes the left, admonishing liberal MSNBC hosts like Chris Matthews and Rachel Maddow for racial bias, saying “…these are not people who have black friends, who know black people…” Now, there is a catastrophic irony in a prejudiced and conservative woman admonishing white liberals who are ostensibly sympathetic to the interest and concerns of Black people. Even though Ann Coulter probably skirts past this nuance like a spun out car in the Indy 500, white liberals do have a legacy of using Black plight to advance their own political agendas. Therefore, we should be equally critical of the messages that white privileged pundits trumpet on behalf of the Black race. But more importantly, deeply–and I mean deeply–entrenched in Ann Coulter’s incisive trash is a point that we must consider—namely this notion of friendship and relationship, particularly between people of different races.

In what seems like yet another law aimed at the poor, Michigan Governor Rick Snyder has helped usher in a strict new truancy policy that targets low-income families.

Starting October 1st, parents whose children have accumulated a significant number of absences [10 or more unexcused absences per year] or who don’t attend school could lose their cash assistance from the state. Children between the ages of 6-15 are required to attend school full-time lest their parents become ineligible for state assistance.

Last night, pop icon Madonna made a somewhat interesting endorsement of President Obama’s re-election during her show in Washington, D.C., by telling the crowd, “Y’all better vote for fucking Obama, okay? For better or for worse, we have a black Muslim in the White House.”

About The Black Youth Project

The Black Youth Project examines the attitudes, resources and culture of the young black millennials.

We have three core areas of focus: knowledge, voice, and action. Knowledge is the research we perform on Black millennials ages 18-35. Voice is the high-quality news and opinions written by Black millennials on this platform. Action is the work done through our sister organization BYP100.